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Tool #2: Self-Disclosure

  • How to Ask Candidates and New Hires to Self-Disclose Disability

Employers committed to creating equitable, accessible and inclusive workplaces may find it helpful to know whether job applicants, new hires or existing employees have any visible or invisible disabilities. With this information, employers can identify and remove barriers – often unintentional – and ensure that accommodation needs are met without creating undue hardship.

 

 

When Disclosure Can Happen

Self-disclosing a disability can happen at various times:

  • By jobseekers during the application process.

  • By candidates before or during an interview.

  • By employees during annual diversity data collection surveys.

  • By employees who recently acquired or developed a disability, whether temporary or permanent.

 

 

Voluntary Self-Disclosure

 
While both demographic and self-identification data reporting are mandatory for federally regulated employers, self-disclosure is voluntary. Job applicants, candidates and employees are not required to divulge any private or personal information to employers or potential employers.
 

Confidentiality and privacy are real concerns for individuals who have already faced marginalization or barriers to inclusion because of disabilities. Disclosing a disability is a personal decision and may be uncomfortable for several reasons:1

 

  •  People may feel that their disability is private and personal.

  • They may have had negative experiences when disclosing in the past.

  • They may have been overlooked for jobs or promotions or may have lost their jobs due to their disability.

  • They may have experienced ableism and stigmatization on multiple occasions.

     

Ableism and Disability Stigmatization

Ableism2 is a stated preference for someone without a disability.

Stigma or stigmatization3 involve a set of negative and unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something. Disability-related examples include:4
 
  • Social Exclusion – People with disabilities may be left out of social activities or may find that a friend becomes more distant after they develop a disability.

  • Stereotyping – People with disabilities may be incorrectly presumed to be helpless or unable to care for themselves or make their own decisions. People with only one disability, such as a speech impairment, may be incorrectly presumed to have other disabilities they don’t have, such as an intellectual disability.

  • Discrimination – People with disabilities may be denied jobs, housing or other opportunities due to bias, false assumptions or stereotypes about disabilities. This still occurs today, despite Canada’s Employment Equity Act.

  • Condescension – People with disabilities may be coddled or over-protected due to incorrect presumptions of helplessness.

  • Blaming – People may be accused of using their disability to gain benefits unfairly.

  • Self-stigma – People may adopt negative beliefs about their own disabilities and may feel ashamed or embarrassed about them.

  • Hate Crimes and Violence – People with disabilities may be targeted in hate crimes. They are more likely to be victims of physical or sexual violence than people without disabilities.

 
 

Requesting Diversity Data During the Application Stage

Collecting and analyzing diversity data during the application stage and throughout the hiring process can help organizations to meet their equity, diversity and inclusion goals and to evaluate their efforts in attracting and recruiting candidates who represent diversity.

Some employers now provide opportunities for job applicants to voluntarily self-disclose if they belong to a diversity group or if they require accommodations due to a disability. Here's how to help set applicants' minds at ease and encourage them to self-disclose:5
 
  • Post job advertisements in accessible formats.

  • Explain which job tasks are essential.

  • Include statements to the effect that people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

  • Create a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion statement and display it prominently in your job postings.

  • Include simple directions for how to request accommodations.

 

Employers can also support inclusion by asking whether candidates need any accommodations:

  • When arranging the first interview.

  • During the interview.

  • During the pre-boarding process.

  • If new hires seem to experience difficulties with certain tasks.

Note: Employers are allowed to ask whether an individual requires accommodations and what they might be, but they cannot ask what the specific disability or diagnosis is.

 

 

   

Communicating Your Data Collection Program to Employees

Building trust and confidence with employees is essential to the success of your data collection efforts; clear communication is key. Be sure to create a communication plan that answers the following questions:

Why – Explain why you are asking for this information. It’s important that employees understand the legal reporting requirement and the fact that this data will be used to identify and remove systemic barriers in the workplace and to promote diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion initiatives.

How – Be clear about how the information will be collected and used.

Who – Be clear about who will have access to this information (Human Resources only) and who will not (managers).

Where – All information must be kept secure and exclusively reserved for designated personnel.

When – Data can be collected annually through a survey or upon hiring. Employees should be able to update or revise their information at any point during their employment since diversity data may change during a person’s lifetime.

Why – Explain the benefits of voluntary self-identification of diversity data and how it ties in with your organization’s overall commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.